ACE (Reunion-2)
by Yhoretta
Summary: The second in my series of Doctor-companion reunions to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our favorite Time Lord! Sarah Jane is poised to investigate "A Charitable Earth" HQ after a sighting of alien-esque disks around the workplace. Oh yeah, and the Doctor comes. What happens when he wants to meet up with his old friend Ace, but gets cold feet?


"Let me guess, you've decided to investigate this place too," said Sarah Jane, stopping herself at the revolving doors, holding them still with her foot. She had seen his reflection in the glass. That same old, stupid, wonderful, impossible man.

"Of course, Sarah," he replied smoothly, following her through the doors as she walked inside. The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper as a man came up to greet them. He knew that Sarah Jane would use her regular 'journalist on the lookout for a story' guise, but the Doctor was an old friend of the charity's creator, and he could tell that a simple media story would not be suitable.

"Hello, can I help you both?" asked the man. "_A Charitable Earth_ is only open for donations today. Any meetings or interviews-" he looked pointedly at Sarah Jane, who was carrying a notepad and pen, "- will have to wait until tomorrow or another day."

"Actually, we've come to speak with Ace Mcshane, we're here to talk to here about a new cause for the company," lied the Doctor. "She is expecting us."

"Who? Oh, you must mean Ms._ Dorothy_ Mcshane. Well, I'll have to see your visitor passes if you've been especially asked for."

The Doctor waved his psychic paper in front of the young man's eyes, pretended to slip it into the pocket of his jacket, and passed it to Sarah for her to hold up as well.

"Professor John Smith and Sarah Jane Smith, no relation. I think you'll find that everything is in order."

"You may go up, everything checks out alright."

The Doctor took the paper from Sarah and discreetly closed her hand in his. They began the walk up the stairs, to the offices and desks. Sarah Jane couldn't help but notice how different the Doctor looked to her, even though he was in the same body as when they had last met. His brown tweed jacket had been replaced by a deep purple one of the same design. His bow tie was darker, his pants were darker. He looked older. She squeezed his fingers and let go as they entered the large room.

The little wooden desks that stood against the white walls were unoccupied. No one seemed to be at work today, except the man who watched the doors and Ace. Pink flyers lay strewn on a few of the surfaces. They read: _**Do not come into work, 14 Sep 2013. I will be personally searching for some of these so-called 'alien' devices that have been found on the premises. Take it as a day off. -Dorothy Mcshane.**_

"Is this why you're investigating?" asked the Doctor, taking a flyer and crumpling it.

"Yes. Is this your excuse also?" said Sarah Jane. Her Time Lord smiled. He knew that she could always see right through him, no matter what.

"No. I came to visit an old friend, and then I saw that she was going to see _another_ old friend. So I followed her."

Sarah Jane smiled with the Doctor. He turned away from her and knocked on the oak door. It was very fancy, very professional. The words 'Ms. Dorothy Mcshane' were engraved on the wood. The Doctor hated that her old name kept turning up like a bad penny. She despised her real title. She always had.

"Harrison, is that you?" came Ace's voice from behind the door. "I told ya not to let anyone in today."

"It's a friend," said Sarah Jane, before the Doctor could speak. Ace opened the entrance to the two 'strangers'. "Hello, my name is Sarah Jane Smith," Sarah continued, holding out a friendly hand.

Ace shook it happily as recognition flashed across her eyes.

"You're a friend of the Doctor's!" she exclaimed. "He used to talk about you all the time."

"Did he really?" Sarah Jane glanced at the silent Time Lord. "Well, I've read a lot about your company. Very interesting work."

"Yeah. It's not exactly what I thought I'd be doing with my life, but it makes me happy to know that I'm doing something good. Proper good. By the way, who's your friend? He seems a little shy."

"Professor Smith," said the Doctor. Ace waited for him to elaborate but he simply stood there.

"We...or rather, I, have come for an interview, about these 'alien' discs that have been found in the building. I know that U.N.I.T already confiscated one, but they don't seem to know what it is and certainly won't talk to _me_ about it."

Ace gestured for them to step inside her office. Sarah Jane made herself comfortable on one of the chairs but the Doctor and Ace just stood, far apart.

"So, fire away Sarah Jane. Oh and you can tell the Professor to…" Ms Mcshane trailed off. She hadn't meant to say that. It was as if her subconscious was trying to tell her something. The younger man with his bow tie and tweed couldn't possibly be the Doctor, her Professor. They didn't even look alike. Impossible.

"Sorry about that. Please, ask me anything ya need to ask me."

Sarah Jane started with a few basic questions about when the discs had first appeared: _last month_, and what they looked like: _small and thin with red highlights between the black. _The Doctor pulled open one of Ace's cabinet drawers and took out one of the futuristic discs. He whipped out the sonic screwdriver and scanned it, smiling.

"What's 'e doing?" asked Ace. It looked like just the sort of thing her Professor would do, but she'd never seen him use a machine like that before.

"You know, I think I'm going to step out for a moment, leave you two alone," declared Sarah Jane. She ignored Ace's protests and questions, shutting the door cheekily behind her. The Doctor tossed his sonic into the air casually. He grinned a little, working up the courage to properly talk to his old friend.

"Hello Ace," he said.

"It's Dorothy. How do you know my old nickname?"

"Because you hate the name Dorothy and you wanted everyone to call you Ace instead."

"I still don't like it, but I need to be professional if I'm gonna make a living. 'sides, who are ya, really?"

"It's me, the Doctor."

Ace took a miniscule step away from the younger man. She didn't like this. If it was some sort of sick joke by Sarah Jane then it wasn't funny. The Doctor recounted some of their adventures to her. The leopard-people, Fenric, Galurga the intolerable, riding through space with little more than an escape pod. She remembered it all, and so did he.

"Professor, is that really you?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded and pulled her into him. Ace couldn't even begin to understand why he looked so different, although she did remember her short, hat-wearing version talking a little of something called 'regeneration'. Mixed emotions churned in Ace's head. Anger, resentment, loss, anger again, forgiveness, hope, and the feeling of being a lost child in her father's arms.

"After everything we went through. Our travels, your manipulations, my leaving and everything else. You still came back to see me," choked Ace, forcing herself to hold in a tear. The Doctor held her face in his soft hands. She looked basically the same, middle aged and tidied up, but still the same girl from Perivale who was swept up in a time wind and never looked back.

"Of course," he said. Suddenly he released her and grabbed one of the alien discs. "I also have some good news about these things. Take a look at this." He pointed the sonic screwdriver at it and a barely audible voice started to speak. The Doctor revved up the volume until it was nice and clear.

"Hello there," chirped the Doctor.

"Salutations. I hope we haven't caused too much of a nuisance to the humans, although they _did _seem to detect our presence," said the voice.

"It's no problem, but you just need to _leave_ after you spy on someone."

"Wait, these things have been spying on me?!" growled Ace. She looked about ready to grab her old baseball bat and smash it like a Dalek.

"Not in a bad way!" cried the little device. "We were simply trying to replicate your company as our planet's very first charity. We thought that an old companion of the Doctor would be the perfect candidate to base our new building around."

"Oh, well, that's nice then," smirked Ace.

"We will indeed depart from this place. Thank you Ms. Dorothy for allowing us to learn from you. Our homeland will be a better place, thanks to your work."

"Er, you're welcome I guess," said Ace in bemusement. The little red and black disc flickered in the Doctor's hands. It faded away with all of the others.

"I think I should go now, let you explain to your workers what happened and so on," sighed the Doctor. Ace placed a firm hand on his shoulder as he tried to leave.

"Goodbye Professor," she whispered, finally allowing a tear to fall onto his shoulder.

"Goodbye, Ace," he replied quietly, leaving her alone in the office. It may not have seemed like much to anyone else if they'd been there, but Ace knew he hated goodbyes, and yet he said it. She went over to her desk and hooked her umbrella over her arm, getting ready to leave. The thing had been a present from an old friend, a long time ago.

"Come on Sarah, let's get some tea before I depart," muttered the Doctor. His sullen expression tugged at Sarah Jane's heartstrings. She took his hand and walked down the stairs with him. He had that face, the kind he always had when he knew he wasn't going to smile again for a very long time.

"Wait up!" exclaimed Ace, catching them up, her umbrella flinging around wildly. She took the Doctor's other hand. "I'll take a cuppa Professor, but only if you're buying!"

The Doctor smiled.


End file.
